My recommendations are:
For a new perspective listen to John Elliot Gardiner. Great sound, new scores prepared from from Beethoven's manuscripts, wonderful playing and conducting, and a true "classical" sound, authentic to the period.
For simplay magical playing listen to any and all of the Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphone recordings. The playing is astonishing in its tightness and rhythmic drive. Some of the symphonies are available as XRCD discs and sound as good as I've heard.
For historical perspective the recordings by Klemperor and Furtwangler are wonderful. I always loved hearing Karajan live but the recordings do not sound good to me.
as for the Emperor Concerto, you will be blown away by Horowitz and Reiner on RCA (yes Horowitz); simply a joy. And every piano player loves it and wishes they could play is so effortlessly. It is Horowitz in his prime, circa 1955.
For a new perspective listen to John Elliot Gardiner. Great sound, new scores prepared from from Beethoven's manuscripts, wonderful playing and conducting, and a true "classical" sound, authentic to the period.
For simplay magical playing listen to any and all of the Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphone recordings. The playing is astonishing in its tightness and rhythmic drive. Some of the symphonies are available as XRCD discs and sound as good as I've heard.
For historical perspective the recordings by Klemperor and Furtwangler are wonderful. I always loved hearing Karajan live but the recordings do not sound good to me.
as for the Emperor Concerto, you will be blown away by Horowitz and Reiner on RCA (yes Horowitz); simply a joy. And every piano player loves it and wishes they could play is so effortlessly. It is Horowitz in his prime, circa 1955.